telemiracle

Telemiracle 37 is just a week away, as Saskatchewan is called on again to ring those phones to help people in our communities who may need a helping hand.

The money raised in the 20-hour telethon supports the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation, which provides access to special needs equipment and helps people get access to medical care away from their home communities.

"It's a nice little package to say that there's some folks that need some extra medical help, and Telemiracle comes together to raise some money to help them out," said Joan Steckhan, Executive Director of the Foundation. "We've got hundreds of stories of the folks that we helped in the last year... One little guy is Justin, and he's cute as a button. He was born with a heart condition, and he needed to be in Saskatoon for four months as well as had the surgery in Vancouver. The family's from Prince Albert, so it was important for the family, obviously, to be here and without the Kinsmen Foundation's support, they wouldn't be able to do that."

Steckhan adds there are also requests from people who need walkers, scooters, powerchairs, and lift equipment, which can be very expensive for people with disabilities, and believes the Foundation help those recipients achieve quality of life and safety for themselves and their caregivers, as well as dignity.

Full interview with Joan Steckhan

There was also more money to go around for those in need this past year, after Telemiracle 36's record total of $5.9 million and the $1.4 million gift from the estate of the late Roy Wudrick, the largest individual gift in the foundation's history.

"That's a particular gift that I don't know that any charity is fortunate to receive more than once, but certainly we've got a lot of interest in our planned giving with people across the province, and we're very thankful for all the gifts of every size that we receive, and we'll see as the show comes what types of gifts are coming forward," Steckhan added.

Telemiracle has been a Saskatchewan staple ever since the first one back in 1977 and continues to be successful every year as it approaches its 40th anniversary in just a few years time.

"The key to the staying power is people in this province care about their neighbour," Steckhan says. "People ask, 'can another province do this same thing?', and I don't think so, because there is a passion in Saskatchewan for helping your neighbour that is second-to-none."

The progression of the telethon itself from its humble beginnings to the event that it is today is also remarkable, and you can actually see the evolution of Telemiracle and look back on some of its memorable moments on a new YouTube channel recently launched by the Telemiracle Foundation.

"There are some really great clips from very recent shows," Steckhan said. "Telemiracle 34, Carly Rae Jepsen was on, who has now skyrocketed in her fame... but we go right back to Telemiracle 1, and there are some really interesting clips, and if anyone wants to look that up, we're going to have some direct links off our web page and our Facebook page."

Telemiracle wouldn't happen without the support from the people of Saskatchewan through pledges and gifts, but it is also made possible by the hundreds of volunteers from Kinsmen and Kinette clubs across the province, and the technical crew that put the show on the air.

"It's an exciting way to help out," Steckhan said. "In order to raise the money, we need a lot of support, and the Kinsmen and Kinettes of Saskatchewan are the ones that come together and make it all happen. It's fun to see what's on television and watch the show, it is utterly amazing to see what happens behind the scenes that makes that all come together. Between the Kin volunteers, the CTV production folks and everyone that comes together, we can have up to 700 people working at one time in organized chaos, and it is because people come together and they know what to acheive, and they do it and it's truly amazing."

Telemiracle 37 goes next Saturday and Sunday at Saskatoon's TCU Place.